Xuanwu War Sovereign

’Utterly pathetic. Weak to the extreme. If this Treasure had fallen into Xuan Wuji’s hands, it might have been enough to turn the tide of that great battle!’

He sighed at the thought. In truth, while he had been speaking with the man in white, Qin Feng had silently slipped into the Void, leaving only a Clone behind.

The man in white possessed a Supreme Treasure but lacked the perception to use it, and so was easily slain by Qin Feng.

He took the dark green Spring and Autumn Brush in his hand. Feeling the dense, vast aura of bright righteousness within it, a smile touched Qin Feng’s lips.

Although he had no use for this Confucianism artifact himself, he could trade it with the people of the Spirit Treasure Sect.

The item was imbued with the Confucian Path of the Saint, offering irreplaceable benefits to disciples of Confucianism. He was sure that powerful followers of the Confucian Dao would be willing to pay a hefty price for it.

SQUELCH!

He withdrew his blade, and the body of the man in white collapsed.

Just then, Qin Feng’s brow furrowed. A piercing blur of a figure suddenly shot out of the Void, lunging for his chest.

He was about to cut it down with his sword, but his expression shifted. His Star River True Power transformed, unleashing a pitch-black tempest from the Void that instantly slammed into the ambushing figure!

SPLAT!

Blood sprayed through the air!

With a mournful cry, a small Spirit Beast was sent flying.

A Sky Split Beast!

Qin Feng appeared before the Sky Split Beast. He pointed a finger, and an invisible force froze the small beast in the Void.

"Scree!" The little beast stared at Qin Feng with pure rage. It had already been gravely wounded, and Qin Feng’s attack had brought it to the brink of death.

Yet its killing intent still raged. A gray light flickered faintly on its body as it began to burn its own potential, ready to fight Qin Feng to the death!

’This little thing is quite loyal!’ Qin Feng thought. His fingers wove a series of Seal Techniques. An invisible power enveloped the small beast, and flowing light formed into the Bright Qiankun Net, preparing to seal it.

This was the Great Brightness Unmoving Sealing Skill, a Secret Technique Qin Feng had once taught to Bai Yan’Er.

He was trying to stop the little beast from burning away its potential and dying!

But the little beast didn’t appreciate the gesture!

BOOM!

A gray Divine Light rose from its cracked Scale Armor, battering against the seal. The little beast’s eyes were filled with unyielding resolve.

The radiant net, formed by the invisible light seal, began to shatter inch by inch.

Qin Feng was taken aback. ’This thing is unbelievably loyal. What kind of spell did that guy put on you? He beat you half to death, and you still want to avenge him?’

"Scree!" the little beast roared in anguish. The gray Divine Light on its body blazed like a Flame, and the very Void around it seemed to melt. An extremely dangerous aura erupted from its body.

’What a stubborn little creature!’ Qin Feng thought, annoyed.

But the more it resisted, the more determined Qin Feng was to tame it.

A Void Element Spirit Beast this loyal, with such a pure bloodline, would be an invaluable ally in the cruel Age of Great Contention that was to come!

’Chaos Light and Dark Great Seal!’ Another Sealing Secret Technique surfaced in his mind. The aura of light in Qin Feng’s palm surged and split in two, evolving into black and white, light and dark, to form two ancient, profound Runes.

One represented light, the other darkness.

The mottled black-and-white Runes intertwined, erupting in a shower of black-and-white light. The light formed a great net that enveloped the little beast, layer by layer suppressing the mystical fire that had been formed from its Void Origin. The technique forced the fire back into the beast’s body, where it condensed deep within its Dantian into a black-and-white, nine-pointed crystal the size of a grain of rice.

The moment the nine-pointed black-and-white crystal entered its Dantian, it fused with the little beast’s bloodline and power.

The crystal began to continuously drain the power from the beast’s body, converting it into Qi and Blood and leaving the creature temporarily powerless.

As it absorbed the little beast’s power, the rice-grain-sized crystal grew to the size of a soybean, and then to the size of a pigeon’s egg.

Drained of its strength and severely injured, the little beast let out a final, mournful cry and passed out.

’You’re a real handful, little one.’

Qin Feng grabbed the small creature and looked at it with a wry smile. "I, Qin Feng, have always been one to kill, not to save. I never thought I’d break that rule for you."

He casually tossed the little beast into the Chaos Heaven.

"Caw, caw! A newcomer?"

Eighth Master stared in surprise as the small beast fell from the sky.

At the same time, a voice sounded in his ear. "From now on, he’s your little brother. But he’s still wild and untamed, so watch him carefully. Don’t let him cause any trouble!"

The plump Black Feathered Crow flapped its wings, its beady eyes darting about. It strutted over to the Sky Split Beast like a lord and muttered, "Ah, training the new guy. Eighth Master’s favorite pastime!"

Having dealt with the Sky Split Beast, Qin Feng scanned his surroundings and glanced at the man in white.

If this had been an ordinary Martial Artist at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Peak, Qin Feng would have tossed his body into the Chaos Heaven to serve as spiritual fertilizer. But he couldn’t do that with someone of this man’s background.

A disciple of his caliber could have any number of secrets hidden on his body, which could easily create a hidden danger within the Chaos Heaven.

If the man in white had some kind of Void coordinate on him, absorbing his body could allow a powerful expert to pinpoint the location of the Chaos Heaven. The risk was far greater than the reward.

He set a fire that incinerated the man’s body and all other traces of the battle, then promptly departed.

「At the moment the man in white died.」

In the Sheji Profound Sect, inside a solemn and stately palace hall, a vigorous and distinguished-looking elder was lecturing on the classics when his expression suddenly changed and he fell silent.

Down below, the expressions of the disciples in formal scholarly robes, who had been listening intently to his lecture, all shifted.

This was the Mingde Dao Palace, the residence of the Wind and Thunder Sage, one of the twelve great sages of the Sheji Profound Sect.

The status of these twelve sages was equivalent to that of the Twenty-Eight Peaks Leaders of the Star Sect. Each one was a Half-Saint on the verge of stepping into the Saint Realm.

The name of the Mingde Dao Palace was taken from one of the classics of Confucianism, the *Great Learning*, whose path is "to manifest illustrious virtue, to be close to the people, and to rest in the highest excellence."

The disciples in the hall were no ordinary students; they were True Disciples of the Sheji Profound Sect, and even included Great Scholars whose power was equivalent to that of a Great Power.

One of them, a disciple with dark skin, a medium build, and a steady gait, stood up. "Teacher, has something happened?"

This was Zi Lu, the head disciple of the Mingde Dao Palace and the most outstanding True Disciple of his generation.

Though not yet fifty, he had already comprehended the Vast True Intent and was a Half-Step into the Great Scholar Realm!

After a moment of silence, the Wind and Thunder Sage sighed. "Your youngest martial brother... has passed."

The faces of the disciples below drained of color.

One by one, all eyes turned to the Wind and Thunder Sage.

The Sage maintained an air of perfect composure, his grief restrained and his sorrow not overwhelming.

It was as if an insignificant ant had died, not a person.

But the disciples all knew that their youngest martial brother, Song Huai Xing, was this teacher’s one and only son!

A feud born from the murder of one’s son is the deepest of all hatreds!

After a moment’s silence, Zi Lu stepped forward and bowed deeply to the Wind and Thunder Sage. He touched the hilt of the sword at his waist, then turned and strode out of the Mingde Dao Palace.

Watching him go, the Wind and Thunder Sage’s wizened, dignified face twitched. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh.